Mesa Legend - SPORTS - Top Thunderbirds make move to next tier in college sports

March 7, 2006
SPORTS
Top Thunderbirds make move to next tier in college sports

Chris Ramirez
Mesa Legend

With the end of the school year in sight, many MCC athletes will find themselves in jerseys of a different color come next season.
Whether they have finished two years or are leaving early, these Thunderbirds will be leaving Mesa to advance their athletics careers. However, MCC coaches are already recruiting new players to fill in the gaps.

Football

Despite the 2005 season not concluding with a bowl game, the T-Birds posted a 7-3 record and featured a potent offense that attracted attention from larger schools. Two stars from that offense are Kenny Mahone and Marko Mitchell.
Mahone, who led the team with 10 receiving touchdowns, will be heading up the mountain to Northern Arizona University, while Mitchell, the team leader in receiving yards, is moving onto University of Nevada-Reno.
Other offensive players moving on to four-year schools are: Zach Bahl, Benedictine University; Wilson Boyer, Jamestown College; Joe Faken, Angelo State University; Bradley Wilson, Southern Oregon University; and Darrian Lynch, Florida Atlantic.
Also, punter Matt Barnard, who led the Western States Football League with an average punt of 43.2 yards, has committed to the University of New Mexico.
On the other side of the ball, strong safety Tyler Moser and defensive lineman Aaron Fernandez will continue on as teammates at Southern Utah University. Defensive back Latron Hickson, named to the NJCAA Region I All-Region Team, is receiving interest from a number of schools, but has yet to commit.
However, the biggest loss of the offseason maybe the leader of the offense, freshman quarterback Colton Malone. One of the top-rated passers in the country this past season, Malone, has decided to leave school to begin a two-year mission for his church.
Possible replacements for MCC are returning quarterbacks Victor Anderson, who saw limited action during the 2005 season, and Luke Taylor.
Also expected to vie for the starting quarterback position are recruits Adam Moreno, Eric Archuleta, and Brice Wilkins.
Overall, head coach Dan Dunn and his staff has compiled a recruiting class of nearly 60 players for the 2006 season.
The recruits will get their first taste of college football at the spring practices held at the end of March.

Women’s Soccer

After finishing fourth in the nation for the 2005 season, the MCC women’s soccer team is reaping the benefits of their success.
Nearly all the sophomores of the reigning region and district champs have the opportunity to continue their soccer careers at four-year schools.
All-American Amanda Nance has already committed to Metropolitan State College in Denver, whose soccer program is directed by former MCC soccer coach Danny Sanchez. Sanchez is also the coach of the women’s team.
Also committed to play elsewhere next season are Sarah Nelson and Ashley Skeen. Staying close to home, Nelson will attend Grand Canyon University. Skeen is off to Utah Valley State and has been with the team there since January.
However, other players looking to move on have yet to make a decision despite making visits to schools, according to MCC coach Tim Barmettler.
He also mentioned the team is starting to get back into the swing of things with offseason practices beginning shortly.
Barmettler has gone about replenishing his team during the offseason with several recruits.
Krista Mirabelli, Sara Freeman and Emily Ellsworth are a trio of Mustangs from Dobson High School that will be staying in the area to attend MCC.
They will be joined by Erin Murphy of Red Mountain High School, who Barmettler commented is a well-known local player.
Others are expected to join MCC, with the possibility of out-of-state players coming to the desert, although that will be unknown until later, Barmettler said.